~ Where we talk about bustin up our sod in our lives and on our land.

Category Archives: Kitchen Cupboard

We have all this “free energy” here in the desert of sunny California. I use it to line dry my clothes, grow some veggies all year round, and make my sun tea.

Well, here is my tea for today. Chocolate peppermint my sister brought back from England and my personal favorite Lavender Chamomile Tea (found at the local grocery store but you can get some here). I put about 6 tea bags in my half-gallon mason jars I bought myself last year for a birthday gift and fill it up with water. If I am in an exotic mood I’ll add some lemon to it. Then I place it outside, up high enough from little hands and let it “bake”. Right now we are experiencing temperatures of 80F.

So here is today’s tea….

and here is today’s weather report…

Dilemma? Weather report says 20% chance of rain. I’ll believe it when I see it but in the meantime, cloudy with a no chance of sun tea.

Next time, I think I need to get one of these for my tea. We just might put Uncle Si to shame with how much tea we go through.

Why is it that we almost step not just 10 feet away, but out the door and onto the side walk away, when we hear the word, “Kale”. It’s harder to give away than Collards or Swiss Chard, never understood that since I use it the same as I do the other ones. But I get it, new things are always a bit daunting.

Here is a simple dish using Kale.

4-5 cloves of garlic diced (Love me some garlic!)

1 diced onion

2lbs of chicken diced

Bunch of kale washed and chopped

Taco seasoning.

Saute’ garlic and onion in a bit of olive oil on medium-high heat, don’t let it burn but get it a nice golden color.

The great thing about doing what is best for your family is that quite often you will reevaluate what you are doing and if it works for you and if it really is what is best for your family. Recently this was in my budgeting and my groceries. I have tried to do biweekly shopping trips because I have read all over the web how that is the best saving tip out there. Maybe it is and I am doing it wrong. I switched to grocery shopping every week though because quite often I would make my menu, go grocery shopping for the two weeks and then when the second week came along a lot of the things I had planned were eaten. I can’t really blame it all on the kids, or even my husband. We work hard. I would even plan snacks out to prevent this but inevitably I would end up making a second or third shopping trip during the week or last minute have to come up with something new. That can get costly. Just sayin’.

I get my grocery ads every Wednesday in the mail. I look them over. I will then go to the fridge and the pantry and see what we should try to use up. I will write them down. Then I go back to the add, see what is on sale and see what we can incorporate into our menu.

We have a budget of $100 week for our family of 6. It seems like so much writing that out especially when I was at $40 a week at on point with the four of us. But the prices of food are so crazy right now. Approx $3-$5 a dozen of eggs! I don’t even buy beef anymore and that is not just cause it doesn’t fully agree with me but it really is just not frugal! I know I am not the only one that faces these kind of challenges. So hopefully you can figure what works for your family and what options you have available for shopping. We have 2 options here for grocery shopping. Since we are a gluten-free family and my husband has a serious diet challenge to help with his health sometimes it seems more costly then ever. For the record, we have always been gluten-free. You don’t have to buy special gluten-free foods. I don’t. I am gifted a lot because I have generous friends that give them to me when they are done but for the most part they just don’t fit within our frugal budget category.

So, that being said, I made inventory (dark brown tab), I made my menu (laminated sticky note pad from Studio Oh! . I like these because you can make a menu and then pull the shopping list off. They also have really cute designs available. Anyway, make my menu, write out the shopping list. If I have a coupon that will be useful, I am sure to note it so I don’t forget it. The “s” and the “a” tell me which store. Sometimes I put prices next to items that I may not necessarily need but are a good price. That way if I write it down and see that I don’t need it when I am in the store, I am reminded why I wrote it down. This is a relatively small list this week. I also get a vegetable box from the local co-op group for approx $40 a week. I have found this to actually be cheaper or about the same cost as veggie buying from the local store. The thing is sometimes its different stuff like rutabaga, Jerusalem artichokes (not really artichokes) turnips, etc. Thing you may not be use to cooking. I have liked it. I’m really learning how to use different vegetables and can barter a lot of my fruit for more veggies. I really do want to do the Pantry Challenge for February and use what is in the pantry as our main source. I like to do this before the hot weather comes because we loose a lot of our pantry stuff due to rancid and whatnot. Anyway… That is my plan for this coming week.

So, that is one reason why I don’t shop biweekly. It is actually saving us money in the long run I think. I keep trying to go back to biweekly every so often but for my stage in life this works great.

Ever since I can remember, lunches have been very difficult for me to serve. I never feel like doing another meal so soon after cleaning up the last one. My kids have bottomless pits so the proverbial peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, lighter lunch type things never go over well and I feel in the end it takes more work, not less for those kind of lunches. Also, being gluten-free and buying $6 loaf breads is not healthy for the budget and my kids haven’t exactly embraced the lettuce wrap alternative we healthy mothers choose. 😉

This week I wanted to try something different. On Monday I made 2 dishes. 1 huge Crockpot of Taco Soup (see simple recipe below) and 1 large Dutch Oven size pot of Potato Soup (recipe below). 2 soups. I buy cheese blocks because it’s cheaper that way and I grated a good amount for all. I think divided it up between 3 mason jars. (We did Taco Soup for lunch that day so no picture is shown of the food we ate) and there we go.

3 meals all done. It took me maybe 2 hours tops. Each day I have pulled out a mason jar of soup for the four children and they have left the table satisfied. I also made gluten-free cornbread muffins using a cornbread recipe on Google and just substituting the flour for the GF flour blend I have.

Since I am doing Trim Healthy Mama right now, I have found alternatives for me. Potatoes are not allowed on my diet right now. I had a salad with tuna one day, taco soup the other, and yesterday was broccoli, beats, and chicken salad. I think today will be a good day for tuna salad wrapped in lettuce.

Recipes

Taco Soup (Sodbuster way)

1- 1lb bag of the following beans;
Pinto
Black
Navy

Soak over night with a TBSP of Apple Cider Vinegar for easier digestion. Next day cook with a bay leaf, 1-2tsp of salt, 1/2- 1 tsp cumin, chopped onion (dried or fresh, doesnt matter), 1tsp of garlic powder, and I like to add a pinch of cayenne.

If you start this first thing in the morning (say 7:30) then by noon you should have cooked beans.

Add to Crockpot along with;
1-2 jars of Mexican diced tomatoes (I did 1- qt jar of my canned tomatoes and 1 15oz of Mexican diced tomatoes)
1 jar of mild diced chili peppers
1 recipe of taco seasoning (I like this recipe)
1 can of red kidney beans (15-30oz whatever is handy)
1 can of corn (I left out because I am avoiding corn right now)
1 can of chopped olives.

If you want to keep this thrifty- stop here and turn on low for 5-6 hours. Serve with sour cream, cheese, and cilantro. Also corn chips if you do corn. 🙂
However, if you have meat eaters, you can add 1-2lbs of cooked ground beef in taco seasoning. (If you do this, leave out the salt in your taco seasoning other wise it can get a bit salty.)

Potato Soup with added LeekThis is not my recipe. I stole it from a friend, tweaked it a bit, and I absolutely LOVE it. I try to make it often enough without too often so we can enjoy it again and again!

5-6 potatoes cubed
1-32oz container of chicken broth (hint- I have found MSG free chicken broth at the dollar store… however, it does seem to be more on the salty side. If you use it, don’t add salt to this recipe until you know how salty it will be.)

8 oz milk or water

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp oregano

1 bay leaf
(I like to add about 1/2 tsp of paprika to it!)

3/4 lb kielbasa or other meat, bite-size

1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken or whatever soup (gluten free option is Progresso Mushroom soup)
1 Leek washed (trust me, these things need to be stripped and washed!) cut the white end off at the root and then rinse/wash the stalks and then cut from white part to about halfway up the green. When it goes from a lighter green to a medium before it hits the darker color is about where I stop. Don’t want it too chewy.)

I made Rice Crispie Treats tonight for our monthly Church refreshments. I have a horrible habit of burning the butter. I don’t mean too. I try to keep an eye on it but inevitably, I blink and there it is turning that brown color that makes you cringe and ring your hands. Do you throw the butter out? Waste it and try again? I can’t. The frugal person in me screams no. Well, tonight I got smart. I bought Barbara’s Brown Rice Crispies at the market yesterday, used my $2 off coupon that I must brag about.

That way, if I burned it again, no one could tell! Right? Brown rice/ healthy treats are always blamed for the off-taste they give….

Well… I didn’t burn the butter! What an accomplishment that is for me. Whew. We all know how easy it is to make Rice Crispie Treats but here is how I made a little twist on the recipe;3TBSP of butter (coconut oil does not work. Just fyi)1 bag of Marshmallows (I have found the larger ones to work better than the mini)1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut (Just enough to give it that hint of a coconut taste but not too much that it takes away from the rice crispie flavor) 6 cups Barbara’s Brown Rice Crispies.

The result 4.5 stars!!!! It needs something to really pizazz it I think but I truly believe this is the best Rice Crispie Treat I have ever had. Maybe a bit of chocolate drizzled over it. Chocolate makes everything taste the best.

If you rather not pay $5-$6 box of Barbara’s or would like to find and easier excessible brand, Kelloggs makes a Brown Rice Krispie, I can’t promise the same outcome though. These have a rich darkness to them that I have not seen in Kelloggs.

I would love to know if you use this adaptation of mine. How did you like it?

I love this recipe because it does not call for powder sugar like a lot of recipes I have do. I cant eat powder sugar due to teeth sensitivities so this is a wonderful way to enjoy it. I made this again tonight with only 2 TBSP of coffee and we all agreed it needed a bit more. Play around and make it *your* fudge.

I admit it doesnt look like much but its how I turned one canned soup into 2 full meals for us and made it more healthy.

I took a large can of Campbell chicken rice soup (gotta be gluten-free you know) and put it in to heat up for dinner. It looked unappetizing so I decided to zing it up a bit with some fresh veggies… then my mind went to town, why not try to get a couple more meals out of it? So I chopped up a full gallon bag of swiss chard stems (you could easily use celery), carrots, and yellow squash. I saute’d them in butter and curry and added them to my soup.

It definitely tasted better a plain ole’ soup… but it wasnt a really good pot o soup.

Sometimes its not all that creative to try to come up with dinners with left over roast and whatnot. Sure you can do BBQ Beef sandwiches, stir-frys… but after a while you want something new and exciting… well at least we do. LOL

Heat oil and garlic in wok until garlic turns light brown around the edges. Then put in beef immediately and stir until brown. Then add soy sauce, beef broth and juice from mushrooms. Stir and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.Add cut up broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms. Stir into beef mixture. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes. Stir once or twice. Take 1 cup water and stir in cornstarch. Add to stir fry to thicken. Serve over rice.

Marla is going through a cookbook with a goal to make every recipe in there with her girls. I thought it was so sweet and she’s blogging about it. If you want to share in her journey you can find her blog here… she’s already posted her first recipe… and it looks yummy!

“I am wife to a wonderful man and mom to five loving and vivacious children! I am a part-time history teacher on the side, but my main occupation is being a mommy to my amazing kids! I have a 16-yo daughter, a 14 yo son, an 8-yo son, a 6 yo daughter and a 4 yo daughter. Life is good!!”

Well, part of our 2 week “vacation” was to go about 3 hours away for my husband to try a natural treatment center for his depression/anxiety/and chronic fatigue/etc problem. The Dr. diagnosed him with Epsteinbar virus.

Now, I am not sure what that means medically, but I learned about the dietary habbits that we’ll be doing.

No chicken, turkey, or cheese, on top of our already
No cows milk
No Gluten/Wheat
No nothin’ diet.

OH VEY WITH THE POODLES ALREADY!

So, I’ve had to completely adjust our budget to allow for meat for protien and lots of more veggies.

Good/bad news is, Hubby is going down every Friday for treatment. 3.5 hours away. With 2 children. Yeah. It may not be hard for some, (KUDOS to you out there!) but I’m exhausted. LOL. BUT They have inexpensive produce down there in SO CA. I couldnt believe the prices on some of those things! WOOT! Last week we did our first trial run of going down and coming back in one day… and we hit bad traffic. Going 45minutes away took 2hours, and then we stopped for a rest for a couple hours hoping that we would miss more traffic… ha ha ha. Shows what kind of city slickers we are! Another what should have been 45 minutes took another 1.5 hours. But I am so impressed with how the children behaved. I think they have realized that crying/fussing does not change our circumstances, but attitude can. Hmmm, need to remember that one. “Out of the mouth of babes…”

So, I have been trying out new recipes, working with a different budget. So you can get an idea of how excited I am about getting such good produce deals…
I would pay approx $45 for 2 bags of produce here in town…
I paid this last week, $30 for 5 bags of produce. WOO HOO!

Today’s MenuPot roast found on special for $2.++lb + the $2.50 Managers Special coupon used = $4.43 for 3lbspotatoes from our .99c 3# bag of potato special 1/2 a onion (big onions), 2 carrots that are no longer crispy ;), rice left over from last night, corn tortilla’s and avocado cause they are starting to go bad.

I will use the leftover roast to make enchilada’s according to this recipe for tomorrow.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a mid sized casserole dish.
In a large bowl mix moist ingredients:
1 small can (or 1/2 a large) of pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 Tbs vanilla
4 Tbs melted butter or melted coconut oil
1 cup of milk (We used Almond milk for my dairy-free girlie)
Whisk until smooth.
Add in the following dry ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned oats
One apple (diced)
1 Tbs cinnamon (we like a lot of the spices)
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
a pinch of allspice and a pinch of cloves
1/2 tsp REAL salt (any salt would do, we just use this kind)
2 tsp baking powder
Stir to combine.
Pour into prepared casserole dish
Top with a tiny sprinkling of brown sugar
Bake 350F for 45 minutes
Serve each portion drizzled with a generous amount of maple syrup (very important) and a bit of cream.

Some versions leave out the vanilla or the apple. Others add in dried cranberries or raisins. Quantity of eggs differs greatly from one source to another…Some have the maple syrup baked in instead of drizzled on each serving…

We’ve done it with banana and blueberries, just banana, strawberry and mango its very good.